Most popular traditions of SUPERSTITIONS around the world

I belong to a family where everyone denies believing in superstitions. Still they do. It’s something that we knowingly or unknowingly follow almost daily. 

I remember in my childhood my mother used to make me look at a water filled bucket before leaving for giving any exam or competition. Before leaving home for traveling we used to have some sweet. If my aunt found any footwear flipped then it was sure for her that she going to have a bad day that day. I was not allowed to leave home just after having milk. If it’s urgent then I have to put some mouth freshener or any snacks in my mouth.

There are many such memories which make me today too to follow some as per my convenience.

Are you Superstitious?

So, yes I am not superstitious but follow some which make sense to me. I do not mean that they are good to me to follow but I do to satisfy my faith and handle my fear. Also to make others happy who want me to follow them irrespective of what I think about such superstitions.

What are Superstitions?

I do not find any problem to believe in certain superstitions which are little logical and not going to harm if we follow them. These are rituals and traditions which most of the time are actually illogical and without any knowledge. Still we follow them in our lives and could not stop thinking about them.

Sometimes they are caused due to fear, stress and sometimes it’s we misunderstand it with faith. When they are due to fear we name them bad luck and when they are for faith we name them good luck. However they are mere illusions and have nothing to do with luck.

The people who believe in them are mostly who want to control their life for better fortune or to handle worried life. Believing in superstitions is not new. It must be as old as humans in the planet. How was the first superstition originated?  Why was it originated? Such questions are still mystery.

Some of the superstitions do have scientific reasons to follow them. However we like ignorant do not bother much to find the logic behind that. And remain in ease of following the ritual with the belief we are taught by our ancestors.

Some very popular superstitions:

There are some very popular superstitions worldwide. I know some of them which are common in India too.  And few of which have reason behind them:

Knocking Wood/Touch Wood - This is another very popular superstition which is been practiced since centuries. In order to avoid bad luck, people tap, touch or knock on the wood. It is believed that the supernatural powers, good spirits and God reside in trees and hence touching the wood will overcome bad luck or the unfavorable situations.

This tradition is common in many countries in their own ways. Such countries are Malaysia, Indonesia, Italy, Iran, Bulgaria, Romania, India, Spain, Egypt, Poland, U.S., Brazil, Greece, etc.

Evil Eyes- This superstition is thousands years old and very common not only in India but worldwide. If someone appreciates or compliments you for something that belongs to you and later that thing gets ruined due to some reason. Then it is the evil eye fallen on you. In hindi we call it “Buri Nazar Lagna”.

In order to protect ourselves from this we have a number of methods:

*Talismans and Amulets given by holy men or from temples.       

*To hang combination of Nimbu-Mirch (Lemon-Green chilly) to keep evil eye away.

*Rotating burning coconut seven times around the head to remove ill effects of evil eyes.

*Putting black tikka (black kajal mark) on forehead or anywhere on face to protest from people with bad intentions to our kids or anyone.

*Spreading mustard seeds in the corners of the house.

*Putting lemon in a glass of water.

*Rotating red chilies, salt, bran flour and mustard seeds combination seven times around the  face to abandon the bad effects of evil eyes from a person.

*Keeping a bowl full of salt at any corner of house.

*Having aquarium in house.   

For the methods that we use like lemon, chilies, mustard seeds etc, there is that these things are natural disinfectants. Hanging or spreading these things keeps pests and insects away. Also in past lemon and chilies are very much carried by people while travelling for different purposes like stay hydrated, examining poisonous snake bites etc.

In Turkey people use blue and white color eye charm called “nazar boncuğu”. Similar types of charms are also common in other countries like Egypt, Greece, Morocco, Iran etc.

Black Cat- Most of us is very familiar with this popular superstition. The history of this superstition is 3000 BC from Egyptian periods. However during that time this was very much a sign of supernatural power which brings good luck. It was linked with the Goddess Bastet and believed as something that protects home. Later in middle age in Europe, black cats are started considering as evil omens for its connection with witches and devils.

Hence different countries feature this superstition differently. For some countries like Britain, Ireland etc its good luck with certain situations while many other areas like South Korea connected it with bad luck.

In India too if a black cat crosses the road or your way then it is a bad omen. In that situation to overcome the curse this has brought, the person takes five or seven or eleven steps backwards and then proceeds commuting. Otherwise leave that way and go somewhere else.

This superstition although has a valid reason. In old days people used to travel by carts pulled by animals. While crossing the forests when big cats like lion, jackals, hyenas etc came across, the animals pulling the cart were stopped. Even they get so much scared that travelers in cart get injured many times. Since then sharing of such stories by travelers made people to believe blindly that cats crossing way is bad luck.

Tuesday the 13^th / Friday the 13^th – In some countries like Spain, Greece etc Tuesday the 13^th is considered as a source of curse and misfortune. While in others Friday the 13^th is the day people avoid anything significant for the same reasons.

There are many explanations for this superstition. However nothing is clear till date. One of the popular reasons is that Crusaders won over Constantinople which unfortunately fell on Tuesday 24^th 1453. Where, the sum of 1453 came up as 1+4+5+3 = 13. Since Tuesday 13^th is considered as a bad day. 

As per Biblical tradition, 13 people including Jesus attended the last super on Thursday. And on Friday Jesus was crucified, which was Good Friday. Since then combination of 13 and Friday is a bad omen.

Trimming nails at Night - This is another popular superstition in countries like India, Turkey, Japan and South Korea. According to this tradition, cutting nails or toe or fingures in dark is a bad luck. Even the person doing so may get a premature death.

While the reason for this seems valid in history, when people used to cut nails with very sharp tools in dark and get hurt. Due to medical ignorance such people could have got sever pain, infection or even death.

Breaking of mirrors – As per this tradition, breaking of mirrors brings seven years of bad omen. Especially if a person is having his reflection in the mirror while it breaks. The reflection of person in mirror has connection with its soul. If the mirror breaks then the soul is actually stolen. Same concept of soul stealing is associated with photography.

According to ancient myth, mirrors have powers to see future and used by magicians and Gods. A broken mirror would end all the powers that the owner of the mirror had.  This will bring misfortune to the owner’s life.

If we look into history, this belief originated in Roman and before the mirror was found. The person who saw the reflection in water thought it as the spirit. This thought was linked with the Roman belief of the soul regenerates in every 7 years. 

There is no scientific reason of linking mirrors with luck. Just that mirror was costly in past and breaking of it might hurt anyone.

Chew gum at night – In countries like Turkey chewing gum or any sweet tablets at night is considered as bad luck. It is believed that chewing gum at night is chewing rotten flesh of a dead.

Flying of birds inside the house – In some countries the flying of birds inside the house is not good. When the bird flies all around the room and chose someone’s chair to land. The person whose chair is chosen would die soon, as per this tradition.

In Africa owls are sign of bad luck. If someone sees or hear owl then person gets some bad news related to finance or health.

In India if crow sits outside your house and makes sound this means the house will have some guests very soon.

In Russia if a bird poops on you or anything that belongs to you then it’s symbol if good luck. This will make you rich and better.

There is no scientific explanation of this tradition.   

         

The curse of seventh son- In Argentina, Brazil, South America and some other countries, it is believed that the seventh son will become a cursed creature or turn into werewolves if not adopted by the president of the country.

In some countries this fear was so much that families even murdered their seventh child to save from this curse.

Hanging horseshoe – In some western counties including India, hanging horse shoe is very auspicious.  In fact hanging the horseshoe above the door will bring good luck and protect the home from evils.

The origin of this superstition is way back to 959 AD in England. Saint Dunstan was a brilliant blacksmith. Once the Devil asked him to, make horseshoe for his horse. On which Saint Dunstan pretended to follow the Devil. As Saint got the chance, he grabbed and nailed the horseshoe on the foot of the Devil. Due to unbearable pain the Devil screamed and begged to remove the horseshoe. Saint Dunstan agreed to remove but in a condition. The condition was to swear that the Devil will never enter anyone house with the horseshoe hanging above the door. To which the Devil instantly agreed.

Since then horse shoe which is of iron is the significance of power and good luck.

In India it is also used in bedroom to keep bad dreams away. A horse shoe has seven holes which is a sacred number and a lucky number too.

Ringing Bells – Bells are symbol of “voice of God” in many religions. It is used to communicate with spirits and address the power. By ringing bells one can drive away evils, demons, snakes, mice and witches. As they all hate loud noise. This is the reason bells are used on special occasions like weddings, during prayers etc.

In India, all the temples have bells to ring while we visit temple to pray during pooja. These bells are made of different metals like lead, magnesium, cadmium, copper, zinc, chromium and nickel in a particular proportion. On the basis of their proportion and size of bells, these bells produce different sounds. On ringing bells, the sharp sound of minimum seven second echo unites our left brain with right brain. Also touches seven healing centers in our body. In this way our mind becomes free from all thoughts for those seven seconds and foes in Trans state.

Woman having periods – There are a number of myths and superstitions related to menstruation of woman.  In most of the countries around the world, some of these beliefs are still active. In some parts of India a lady in periods are not allowed to visit temples. She should not enter kitchen. She is considered as impure or evil. She is not allowed to eat certain food.

In other countries like US, UK, Nepal, Israel, Brazil etc. too they are bound with certain set of restrictions. They cannot enter inside home and are provided a separate area to live. She cannot wash or cut hair. Wash pad before disposing or evils may attach them. She cannot touch plants and flowers otherwise they will die. There are so many more like these. And the biggest one that a girl got first menstruation should wash her face from that blood to keep skin clear. 

Don’t know why and how these rules came into people mind in ancient time. Now a days there must be leniency I am sure.

In India the reason for these restrictions is considered as the woman become weak physically and needs rest. So, such restrictions will give her time to relax and away from daily routine chores. Do not know if it’s a valid reason or an excuse.

Shooting star / falling star - Many people in this world believe that the falling stars are actually God peeping from above to us. Hence they find this time as best to true any desire by wishing it during the falling star. This belief is 100 CE old originated by Greek astrologer.

The Geeks also believe shooting star as falling or rising human souls. Christians and Jews believe them as fallen demons.

This superstition has no scientific explanation.

Sweeping with Broom at night – In many countries using boom in evening or at night is supposed as sweeping out good luck. In England sweeping with new broom in the month of May is bad.

In India we avoid using broom at night as it is believed that Goddess Laxmi visits home after sunset. If someone sweeps or mops the goddess does not come.

The logic might be that while sweeping in dark there might be chances of loosing something precious which was lying on floor and by mistake gone out with sweeping. Also that at the time other members are at home and sweeping during that time can make air dirty for all of us.

Adding one rupee - Adding one rupee to gift money means adding blessings, luck and love. In India, we make the amount 100 rupees to 101 rupees and 1000 rupees to 1001 rupees.

The reason of adding one rupee is to make the amount odd number which is not divisible. An even number gets divide and becomes zero at last.

Eye twitching – Eye twitching can be good or bad luck. The type of luck not only depends on the side of eyes and its parts but also on gender.

The eye twitching is scientifically proven as sue to stress, eye strain, lack of sleep, etc.

Peepal tree at night – It is not considered safe to go near Peepal tree at night. People in India believe that evil spirits resides in Peepal tree. If someone passes near such tree at night then evil spirit possess the good spirit of the person.

There is scientific reason behind this belief. Peepal tree is a huge tree hence it exhales more carbon dioxide at night. It is hard for any person to breath comfortably near such tree because of lack of oxygen.

A groom seeing bride before marriage – As per this superstition, a groom cannot see his bride before marriage. This tradition is very common in many countries.

The history of this tradition is sad that in ancient time bride’s father was required to please groom family with dowry or the demands kept by groom’s family. If the demands are not fulfilled then there could be chances of calling off the marriage. If the father allows groom to meet with his daughter and later the marriage calls off then there would be shame for him, his daughter and his family. To avoid any such situation, brides are not allowed to meet her groom or vice versa.

Some more superstitions are:   

• Crossing fingers while wishing good luck is a common tradition in western countries.

• Leaving the scissors open when you have nothing to cut is sign of bad luck.

• The Groaning cheese superstition in Medievalg England for long and prosperous life of a child.

• Opening an umbrella inside the house bring bad luck. By doing this the person is insulting the Sun and guardian spirits of your home.

•  We say ‘God Bless You,’ when someone sneezes to keep the person safe.

• Number 4 brings bad luck according to people in China and some other countries.

• Stepping left foot on dog poo is good luck while putting right leg is bad luck.

• Cutting nails on Tuesdays and Saturdays are equally bad as cutting nails at night.

• Washing hair on Thursdays and Saturdays brings bad luck.

• The kids are asked to cover their belly when it is raining and thundering. Otherwise the God of thunder may steal or eat the belly button.

• Walking backward is bad luck in some countries like Portugal. It’s like giving signal to evil spirits about the way you going.

• In countries like South Korea sleeping with fan open in a closed room is a bad omen.

• Never use the statements like “I am going”, “It’s my last drink” etc to attract bad luck. Such believe is common in India, Cuba etc.

• Keeping bags or purses on floor can make one penniless. Similarly keeping any purse without a single penny in it will bring bad luck in finance. Such believes are found in Brazil, India etc.

• Carrying acorns in pockets can keep a woman with youthful complexion according to ancient Britain.

• In countries like India Turkey etc if someone jumps or goes over a child then the child will not gain good height and remains short.

• Having 12 grapes one by one on New Year’s Eve will bring good luck. This is believed in Spain.

• Entering a room with left leg is bad luck in Spain. Similarly entering the house with left leg is not good in India. Especially in special occasions like marriages, house inaugurations, pooja etc the main members are asked to enter the house with right leg only.

• In Britain, North America etc. saying “Rabbit Rabbit” or “White Rabbit” ensures a good luck for the month. As rabbits live underground and can communicate with underground spirits.

• Singing during dinner time is like inviting devils for food. This belief is from Netherlands.

• Russian and Hungarian believe that sitting at the corner of the dining table will bring bad married life.

• If two or more people say same thing at same time then they are never going to get marry as per the superstition in Italy. To overcome this bad luck, those people need to touch wood or their nose. This superstition is also common in Greece.

• In Korea if a pregnant lady has asymmetric fruit then she will give birth to an ugly baby.

• In Russia giving yellow flowers is a bad omen for the one you gave flowers.

• Itchy hands may be good or bad omen for Indians and Russians. Left itchy hand means you will lose money while right itchy hand means you will get money.

• Sleeping with your head in north direction is bad luck in Japan and India. While sleeping with head towards west is bad in Africa.

• Facing two mirrors opposite to each other is invitation to the devil in some countries like Mexico.

• Wishing happy birthday early brings misfortune as per German, Indian etc.

• Before going to new house, general house cleaning cloths should be burnt. This leaves all bad omens in previous home. This is early 20^th century superstition from America.

• Complimenting a small kid is not good in Serbia. They say a newborn is ugly. This seems something related to evil eyes.

• Spilling of salt or sugar is bad in some countries. One can put sugar over the spilled salt or pepper as a remedy.

• Women will get beard if they have goat meat according to superstition in Rwanda.

• Shaking of leg is bad in some countries like India, Korea etc.

• Crossing fingers for good luck. In old days it was used by Christian believers to find another believer as a sign of peace. Now a day’s people use this to hide their lies.

• If you sit on cushions then your back will get cuts and blisters. This is believed in Malaysia.

• Hitting a man with broom even though by mistake will make him to lose his genitals. As a remedy the man should be beaten by seven times in Nigeria.

• If its sun and rain at the same time, it makes rainbow and looks so beautiful. In Philippines this condition is a sign of bad luck. According to them the devil horses are getting married.

• In some places if two heads bump accidentally then it should be repeated to break bad luck it may cause. Bumping of heads may lead to fight between the people.

• In countries like Holland and Switzerland, a couple should plant a tree outside their house after marriage for good luck. Oh! I liked this one the most. It sounds so logical to maintain greenery in our surroundings.

• In Italy, One can die within three hours if takes meal just after swimming. Well seems logical. It might not be death but having meals just after any type of exercise is not good for heath. Especially swimming which is a hard one.

• If you keep inside out clothes then it brings bad luck. You may be beaten by someone.

• According to Americans witches cannot enter a house having diagonal windows.

     There are still many more superstitions around the world. Many of them have no meaning and logic still people are following them just to avoid any bad luck or curse that such superstition may generate.

Sometimes when my kids do not listen to me I just use some prank like if they do not finish their milk then the left over milk will cry at night. This makes them to finish their milk. However I know it’s just a prank. Who knows some of the superstitions might have been generated like this only.

Following or not following them is all up to us. Just following them should not be so illogical that it may hurt someone or oneself. Following such superstitions should always be for good reasons with better output.

If you can suggest any new superstition which I have not mentioned then please mention it. If you have any scientific reason or know logic behind any superstition that I have mentioned then below please let us know in comments for more exposure in this topic.